


Felix Felicis

by Mandichu



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Agents of Shield AU, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/F, Skimmons AU, skimmons - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-04
Updated: 2015-06-04
Packaged: 2018-04-02 22:25:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4076035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mandichu/pseuds/Mandichu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jemma Simmons comes from a traditional Quidditch family, but has no aptitude in the sport. Skye doesn't know who her family is, but still she's the amazing seeker on the Gryffindor team. Luck drawn them together, but will fate help them out?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The day had started normally at the Gryffindor common room. First years were leaving their dorms with sleepy, yet smiley, faces; Second and third years were already rushing through the hole in the wall, running in packs towards the great hall. Most of the older students were still sleeping, or had spent the night finishing their homework assignments.

Skye was no exception. She was a month into her fifth year in Hogwarts and already falling behind on all of her classes. She didn’t blame herself, though. Being a muggleborn, she was used to relying on technology from a young age. Even though the only computer at the orphanage where she grew up had to be shared by all the kids there, she always found a way to have a bit more time. Therefore, sitting at the library and searching through books was definitely too hard and boring for her.

“Fuck this…” She muttered to herself, tossing her unfinished Potions essay into her bag. She ran to her dorm and changed into cleaner robes before going to the great hall. A group of girls were chatting in a bed, but as Skye entered they all stopped. Not having a wizard family background wasn’t really troubling in Gryffindor, but she wasn’t the type to easily make friends, and so she had never talked much with anyone during the past five years.

The only person she could manage to think of as a friend was her Muggle Studies professor, Phillip Coulson. They had met on her first ever train ride, when she was eleven. He invited her to sit with him and even bought her some chocolate frogs from the food trolley. They talked about things in the muggle world, which made Skye feel like she still had a bit of home with her…Well, if she ever had a home. He only became her teacher on her third year, but still, he had cared for her during all her time at school so far and would even ask for the kitchen elves to make pizza, and then invite her to watch a movie on the tv/dvd set he used for his classes. Even though Skye never found a true friend her age, she was always very grateful and happy with Professor Coulson’s presence.

* * *

 “Hey, you have mail!” Leo said, as Jemma sat across from him at the Ravenclaw table. “It’s from your mom.”

“Oh, great…they always have lovely things to say. Let’s see it.” She opened the envelope to find a typed letter. “Dear Jemma,” she started reading, “Your father and I are thrilled that you’re starting a new year at Hogwarts. We’re so sorry we could not return from vacation in time to send you off at the station, but we would like to remind you about the Quidditch team try outs. We hope you understand our family tradition and I am sure you’ll get on the team this time. Love, mom. Great, another letter about quidditch.”

“Have you ever tried telling them you don’t like it? I mean, you’re an amazing student, and we’re taking our O.W.L.s this year, so you really can’t worry about getting or not in that team.”

“Fitz, everyone is my family has played on that team ever since my great grand father came to Hogwarts. It’s not that simple. Specially now that my brother is the keeper for the Chudley Cannons, the name Simmons is even more associated with this bloody game than ever!”

“Wait, your brother is a professional quidditch player?” Fitz laughed. “Your family is worse than I thought!”

“Shut up and eat your breakfast, Fitz”

* * *

 The end of breakfast time was the best for Skye, not only at Hogwarts, but also at the orphanage where she grew up. It meant less people around and more quietness. There were only a few people at the Gryffindor table and two kids at Ravenclaw’s, but the coffee was still hot and there was always enough bread and eggs. She was always glad that wizard food was pretty much the same as muggle food. It was one less thing to get used to.

“Well, let’s give another shot on the Potions essay” Skye thought to herself, laying her backpack on the bench beside her. She started to write when a hand fell on her shoulder.

“Hey, Skye. I’m not sure if anyone told you, but I’ve scheduled the try-outs for tomorrow, so, I guess you should come and help me choose some new players. We lost half our team for graduation this year.” Trip was a sixth year student and the new quidditch captain for the Gryffindor team. Despite her origins, Skye had shown great abilities with a broom, and after some lessons from Professor Coulson during her first winter at Hogwarts, she joined the team as a substitute seeker and became a main player the following year.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll be there.”

“Great! I think I’ll really need some help this time.” He laughed.

Trip was one of the few students Skye had any contact with, since they had joined the team on the same year and the new players always have extra training together. He was older, so they didn’t have the same classes, but he was nice enough to help her with some homework if he had the time. He was also the former owner of her one and only Cleansweep Five. He got a Nimbus 2000 as a gift for making the team, so he handed his old broomstick down to Skye.

“And, Skye” Trip said walking away “Our first game is against Slytherin…Be ready.”


	2. Chapter 2

“I know how you can join the quidditch team.” Leo said while sitting beside Jemma at the Ravenclaw common room.

“Say it!” Jemma answered putting her herbology assignment away.

“Can’t. Not right now. But I heard the try-outs will be tomorrow, before Gryffindor’s, so meet me in the owlery when classes are over, okay?”

“No Fitz, not okay. Tell me now!”

“Tomorrow, owlery!” He answered, already walking towards the boy’s dormitory. “Just finish your homework and get a good night of sleep, seeker!”

Jemma looked back at the books, but there was no way for her to concentrate. She was already decided to not try out for the team again, and just turn into the black sheep of the family. She had been trained to be a player since she could sit in a broom, and even though she had been quite good at young age, it just wasn’t what she liked doing. It was on her first year at Hogwarts that she discovered the wonders of potions. It was what she really loved and Professor Hall had assured her she could have a promising career in the development of medicines.

The fireplace was almost out and the common room was almost empty when Jemma emerged from her thoughts. Her first instinct was to get her wand and light the fire again, but she decided there was no need since the only other person in the room was a sleepy first year student.

“Hey, sweetheart, why don’t we go sleep in our beds?” She whispered to the other student, helping her walk towards her dormitory. She then proceeded to her own bed, but failed to fall as sleep and just watched as the lake water moved with the wind. 

* * *

 

It was a Wednesday, and Sky loved it because she had Muggle Studies on her first period. Coulson was the kind of nice professor who barely gave the class homework and tried to make the lessons and fun as possible. He understood many kids in that class were either muggleborn or halfblood, so they didn’t really need the definition of telephone or iPad. He instead showed them movies and talked about pop culture references and new trends in music. It was the time of the week and Skye could discuss the proto punk scene in Ann Arbor and Andy Warhol artwork and most people would at least know what she was talking about.

“Professor Coulson, do you have a minute?” Sky asked at the end of the class, as the other students left the room.

“Skye, I told you, when the class ends, you just call me Phil, okay? If you insist on Professor Coulson I might have to give you a detention.” He laughed. “But, yes, I do have a minute. Speak.”

“Last week you gave me this comic book and it ends on a giant cliffhanger, so I was wondering if you could let me read the next one or maybe tell me what happens to Captain America?”

“I don’t have the next issue here at Hogwarts, but I can assure you he doesn’t die. I’m glad you’re enjoying Captain Steve Rodgers. It means we’ll have lots to discuss on our next tea meeting. Wanna do it today?”

“Sorry, can’t. Quidditch try-outs this evening. Need to pick the right new comers.”

“Oh Skye, it’s so great that you’re doing well in the quidditch team…But you should really make some friends.”

“I have friends…I have you, and like, three or for other people I talk sometimes. That’s more than enough for me. I swear.”

“Yeah, right…Hurry. You have class right now, don’t you?”

* * *

 

Skye’s next class was Transfiguration. The room was already filled with Gryffindor and Slytherin students when she arrived, but luckily Professor May wasn’t there yet. Melinda May was the kind of professor no one really understood: she was quiet and serious in class. Never had to shout to keep the order and no one dared to do anything but study in her class, much unlike Coulson’s. First years would already be traumatized on their first encounter, but the funny thing is she could be really sweet with honest mistakes.

On her first year at Hogwarts, Skye had transfiguration with Ravenclaw and this one kid managed to turn every single book in that room into a monkey. Everyone thought she was going to send him to the headmaster’s office or at least give him detention, but she only asked him if he had done it by accident and calmly undid the spell.

Skye sat down on her spot and soon after a flying paper bird arrived at her table. It chirped a little and then unraveled into a little note: “Hey, orphan”, it read. She looked back to see a tall, dark haired boy staring at her. When they eyes met he opened a little smile, wrinkling the side of eyes and making a bruise on his face more visible. Grant Ward was a rich pureblood from Slytherin. Besides his family status, his abilities of quidditch captain made him one of the most popular boys in school.

Ward would often surprise Skye by sneaking into her classes, even though he was a seventh year. They had a love/hate relationship since her first game, two years before. He was a beater, but was very fond of using his giant muscle structure to tackle players, instead of using the Bludgers. He tackled little thirteen-year-old Skye, making her fall to the ground and break a few ribs. This was enough to make the whole team hate him, since she was their youngest player and the seeker, which made them lose the match. Grant however, visited Skye everyday at the Hospital Wing and even bought her candy from Honeydukes on the Hogsmead trip she could not go.

After the incident they would be seen hanging out together at the Quidditch field on free periods and holidays. Even though he was Skye’s first kiss, she could only see him as friend. That’s what pissed off every other girl at school: he would only look at her, but she only wanted his as a friend. Still, it was good to have someone to walk the halls with sometimes.

Skye looked back at the note and heard the door closing behind her. She turned around, only to see an empty seat where Ward had been and Professor May walking towards the front of the class.

“Today we’ll be talking about the Gemino Curse, also known as the Doubling Charm,” she said pointing her wand to the small chalkboard beside her desk. “Please read the specific chapter in your books and we’ll discuss it in thirty minutes.”

Unlike most teachers, Professor May liked to give the class a detailed theory on how any spell worked before letting her students try it. She assured them that a full knowledge of where you wanted to go and how you would get there made anything easier. Skye pulled her book from her backpack and started reading, unaware of the fact that Melinda was carefully watching her.

* * *

 

“Okay Fitz, I’m here. What’s your plan?” Jemma asked, upon arriving at the owlery. It was around four in the afternoon and the try-outs for the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team would start in half an hour.  
“Here,” Fitz said, taking a little bottle from his pocket. “Drink this.”  
“What’s this?” Jemma asked.  
“Felix Felicis. Or, your personal invitation to the Seeker position.”  
“Fitz! This is illegal. You don’t need to be a Quidditch player to know that! And besides, where did you even get it?”  
“My dad sent me some potions supplies last week. And it won’t matter if it’s illegal. You’re trying out for a substitute position. You won’t even have to play. Just drink it, so you can concentrate on your O.W.L.s, instead of hating yourself for being a disgrace to your family.”  
“I guess I could take a sip, right?”  
“Just do it Simmons.”

* * *

 

The sun was setting and the sky around the Quidditch field was turning orange. Little shadows flew around in broomsticks until a loud whistling sound filled the air. All the candidates to the position of substitute keeper, beater and substitute seeker lined up under the Raveclaw bleachers.  
“I know the other houses usually play a game and choose whoever worked better, but here in Ravenclaw we give you a few tests.” Said the team captain. “First, those applying for beater position will have an aim test and those trying-out for keeper will have a practical skill test. Then, we’ll clear the field and the first to catch the snitch is our substitute seeker. Any questions?”

 

The blue and bronze mass walked towards the center of the field, with the exception of a few kids who would take the seeker test. Jemma sat at the bleachers, away from everyone else, battling the need to throw up and run away. She wished Fitz was there to tell her some sort of joke, but he had to prepare a star chart for his Astronomy class. She instead focused on how the chasers threw the ball slightly too hard at the keepers, trying to make them lose balance. Ravenclaws could be really mean sometimes.

“Simmons! Are you coming or not?” A loud voice rang through her ears. Jemma had lost herself in thoughts and when she came back all the other seekers were lined up in the field. She grabbed her broom and ran into formation, standing beside a short blonde third year student.

“I’ll release the snitch, and you may fly when I blow the whistle. The first to catch it gets the position.”

Everything that happened after that was fast and blurry. The team captain released the snitch and seconds later blew the whistle. Jemma felt her body move upwards and her broom accelerate towards the gold blur in front of her. She kept her arm stretched and soon enough the little metal ball was caged inside her fist. Another whistle sound filled the air and she realized she had done it.

“Simmons is the substitute seeker!”

As soon as her feet touched the ground she started running out of the field. Jemma managed to reach the area between the Gryffindor and Slytherin bleachers before throwing up. It was messy and disgusting, and she definitely hated it, but for once, it felt good to have everything in her stomach thrown into the ground.  
Suddenly she felt someone pulling her hair back. At first she thought it was Fitz, but the hands were too small and soft. Simmons turned around, trying to clean her mouth with her robe sleeves and found to big brown eye staring at her. The Gryffindor girl had tanned skin and a bright smile. She was wearing a quidditch uniform and had her hair tied in a ponytail.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

“Yes, I think.” Jemma replied.

“It’s okay, I was really nervous when I tried out too. But you were great. Seriously amazing.”

“Thanks…I guess. I’m Jemma Simmons.” She said, standing her hand forward.

“I’m Skye…Uh, just Skye.” The other girl replied, shaking her hand. “I gotta go help on my house try outs, but I’m looking forward to seeing you on a match!”  
Jemma stood there with the snitch still inside her hand, watching as the Gryffindor girl walked towards the center of the field. “Yes,” she thought, “I’m also looking forward to seeing me".


	3. Chapter 3

Trip was uneasy as the aspiring players warmed up, racing around the field. Many of the second years fell from their brooms in the first turn, but he kept pushing the kids to move faster.

“Look, I understand you don’t feel confident being captain, but killing the poor children won’t help.” Skye said, sitting beside him on the grass.

“You’re late.” He replied, as another student, now a fourth year, hit the ground. Students who were watching rushed to help their injured friends. The Gryffindor try-outs were almost a house event, bringing many students to the bleachers and then ending in a party at the common room.

“No, I’m not.” Skye replied. “You’ve just started, and I was helping this Ravenclaw girl. Poor thing, made it to the team, but threw up after. Big mess.”

“You threw up after you caught the snitch, if I can remember.”

“Yeah, but that was because a bludger hit my stomach right after.”

“Excuses, excuses… Okay, let’s start this.” Trip walked to the center of the field and shot red sparks from his wand towards the sky, to grab everyone’s attention. The brooms stopped racing and made their way to the ground, forming a circle around the captain.

“Hello everyone, if you don’t already know me, I’m Antoine Triplett, captain and chaser of the quidditch team.” He said, using his wand to make his voice sound louder, so everyone in the bleachers could hear. “By my side is the lovely Skye, our main seeker. Tonight we have the hard task of choosing a keeper, a chaser and two beaters. Also, the runner-ups on each of these three positions will be substitutes. Our selection is pretty simple. Skye will call your names and divide you in two teams: red versus gold. You get 5 minutes to change into the uniforms and then you play. We’ll announce who made it at the party tonight.”

The crowd went wild with the mention of the party, and the chanting was so loud Skye had to shout the roll call in the field to divide the teams. Once she was done, the two groups moved opposite directions to the locker areas.

“I’ll go to the bleachers to watch. Be the referee, ok?” Trip asked, handing her the whistle. Skye wrapped the chain around her wrist and opened the ball container. 

* * *

 

“Jemma! What the fuck happened?” Fitz asked, running down the Hospital Wing, towards the bed his friend was laying down.

“Leopold…Manners!” She answered sitting up. “I got nervous after the try-out and threw up. I thought it was better if I came to check if I was really fine.”

“And you are right? We can go back to the common room, right? I heard the great news that we have a new seeker!” he joked, helping her to get up.

“Well, yes. Now we just need to find a way for me to be that good on every match!”

“But aren’t you a substitute? You won’t have to play at all.”

“No Fitz. I might have to play, but I’ll never know when, until we’re in the middle of the game and everyone is going mad cause they want to win.”

“That’s hard, but no problems. We’ll find a way…we always do, right?” Fitz felt a bit guilty about the potion, but there was nothing they could do now except hope that the main seeker wouldn’t get hurt. “But hey, tell me how it went.” He asked as they walked to the Ravenclaw Tower.

“Well, you know… I was on the ground, then I was in the air and then I ran away to throw up and this nice Gryffindor girl helped me.”

“A Gryffindor helping? She probably just saw your Prefect badge and wanted to get some house points. They’re not doing so well this year, you know.” He joked. “I mean, these Gryffindor kids tend to only look at themselves. It’s kinda hard to imagine one of them help someone like us.”

“What do you mean someone like us?”

“You know what I mean Jemma.”

“Yeah…I guess I do.”

* * *

 

 “All right, all right! Settle down guys.” Trip said, standing up on one of the chairs at the Gryffindor common room. “I’ll announce the players selected to join the team.”

 

It was expected that the new members would be chosen from the red team, since they had won the try-outs match. The first two names called were for the beaters position: A third year girl and a fourth year boy were chosen. Then, he announced the new chaser: a tall fourth year boy who had barely managed to catch the snitch without falling from his broom, but who Skye believed would get much better with intensive training.

“Now, our keeper…Where’s Mike Peterson?” The room fell silent.

A tall, dark skinned boy got up from a chair near the fireplace. Half his face had burning scars and he was still wearing the gold team  
uniform shirt.

“I was on the losing team.” Mike said.

“Well, yes, but out of 46 shots, you defended 32, which is a pretty good number. No come here get your uniform.” Trip replied, touching the Gryffindor shirt with his wand, making the name M. PETERSON appear in gold letters against the dark red fabric.

“Hey, congratulations! You did a really nice job.” Skye said, as Peterson walked back to his previous seat, near the fireplace. “I’m Skye, by the way.”

“Thanks…Uh…Mike Peterson, nice to meet you.” He replied.

“Now, please everyone, if you guys don’t mind, I need a little private talk with the team. It’s late, so you should all go to your dorms anyway, alright?” Trip yelled, trying to overcome the mess that had taken over the common room. However, slowly the kids began to direct themselves to their dorms, leaving the quidditch team alone.

“So, as you may know, the season starts in exactly a month, and we’ll be playing the opening game against Slytherin. I hope you guys understand our level of rivalry and I really expect all of you to work hard in the training sessions, which will happen everyday, by the way. Oh, and everyone trains, even substitutes.” Trip began. “Now, I wish you all a good night of sleep and we’ll see each other on the field, tomorrow at four. Any questions? No? Good. Dismissed.”

“You talk like a soldier.” Skye joked.

“I prefer the term super agent, if you don’t mind.” Trip replied.

Skye nodded and walked towards the stairs that led to her dorm. She carefully moved towards her bed and collapsed at once. Her body ached from flying around so much, but as her eyes closed she couldn’t help but wonder if the new Ravenclaw seeker was doing fine


	4. Chapter 4

The days had never been more tiring or fast for Skye. She would wake up very early in the morning to finish her homework and go to bed very late, as she was preparing the new substitute seeker for the Slytherin match. The best part, by far was the silent moments she had lying on her bed. All her sore muscles were starting to regain resistance, which led to less pain. That was good.

October was ending and the Halloween festivities approached. Skye sat by the Groundskeeper hut, looking at the giant pumpkins waiting to be carved, instead of focusing on her Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. “Accio bottle” she whispered, pointing her wand at her backpack. A little metallic object flew right towards her hand. She opened and the familiar scent invaded her nostrils.

The good thing about being friends with your Muggle Studies teacher was that he would smuggle many things into the castle. Including Coke. Skye took a long sip and looked back to her homework. However, instead of writing about the life cycle of Vampire Bats, she proceeded to draw little bats all over the page, and then used magic to make them fly around each other on the paper.

In a few hours she would be heading to Hogsmead along with the other students who were old enough to go. “I doubt I’ll finish this before I leave.” She said to her self. “I might as well look for a book at the village and Try to finish at the Three Broomsticks.”

As she swinged her backpack behind her shoulder, she felt a strong and familiar grasp in her arm.

“Hey, Skye.” A strong voice sounded behind her ear.

“Ward…Aren’t you supposed to be at the Slytherin training session? “

He was wearing his Quidditch uniform, and little drops of sweat ran down his face, even though there was a nice fall weather.

“Nah, we ended it early so everyone could get ready for the first Hogsmead outing. I figure you’re going to be there, right?

“Well, since you’re going, I might as well stay in the library and finish my homework.” She replied, pointing at her backpack.

“Oh, c’mon Skye. When will you admit you like me?” He asked, brushing his fingertips on her cheek.

“This is the thing Ward, I don’t.”

Skye turned around and started walking towards the castle, hoping he wouldn’t follow her. After a few steps, when she turned around, he was already gone.

* * *

 

“Fitz! We’re going to be late!” Jemma yelled as she pulled the boy by his sweater sleeve.

“Just a second! I just need to review if I have everything on the list!” He answered, stopping in the middle of the stairs as they moved around. “If I forget to buy anything, I’m screwed on Potions and you know my parents gave me a pretty limited amount of money, so I need to calculate everything right, so just give me a minute.”

“Okay, but if we get late, you won’t be able to buy anything at all.” She replied. They ran down the stairs and through the hallways. When they got to the patio, both of them were panting slightly

What amused Jemma the most on these Hogsmead outings was how the other students dressed when not forced to wear uniforms. Some followed the shirt and tie pattern, and wore sweaters, but some would be wearing really old jeans and oversized hoodies and she could swear one of the boys was wearing pajamas. It was also great not to be bounded to her house colors. She loved being a Ravenclaw, that was a fact, but it was somewhat nice to feel like no one was judging you because of the traits expected for each house.

Truthfully, she always thought the Hogwarts system separated people too much, and threatened their individuality, but anytime she brought the subject up, Fitz would be ready to mock her and say she was thinking too much, so she simply avoided speaking about it.

Professor Hill, of Defense Against The Dark Arts stood in the middle of the patio, holding a long list of student names. She called them by alphabetical order and soon Fitz had to go to one of the carriages.

“I’ll wait for you there, as usual, okay?”

“Sure” Jemma replied, crossing her arms. It was a little difficult for her to be left alone and then sit in an awkward silence with other students as they were taken to the village. Her company that time was a group of third years on their first ever visit. They all seemed to know each other, or at least bonded over the time it took for the professor to call.

Simmons looked through the window trying to keep the worry off her head, but she could only think about having to enter the Quidditch field and sit on the bench the next month, even though she couldn’t play to save her life. She got so distracted that it took her sometime to realize that the carriage had stopped and was already empty.

She got down and looked for Fitz around the Village entrance, but she figured he could have gone ahead to buy his potion supplies. The girl walked down the main street and couldn’t help but stop at Spintwitcthes, a sports store focused on Quidditch. Even though she didn’t enjoy it as much as her family, growing up she got used to the athletic environment. The store owner also like to play the narrations of old matches and often she would hear announcements of her father scoring a goal. It felt a little like home and it was a place she could quietly seat and avoid being bothered.

The first thing she saw upon entering was a giant and brightly illuminated poster of her older brother James Simmons, Chudley Canons keeper and also teenage heartrhob. In the poster he kept opening a smile, winking and sometimes waving his hand or running it through his hair. It was hard to think of him as the same eleven-year-old boy who pooped in his pants after receiving his Hogwarts letter.

“So, you’re one of those girls who think James is a keeper?” someone said behind her. Jemma looked back to see the tan skinned Gryffindor girl who had helped her. She wore a blue plaid shirt and her long black hair was falling down her shoulders. “You remember me, right? Otherwise this was really awkward.” Skye said.

“No… I mean, yes, I remember you...and I’m not a fan of…Well, I am a fan, but not like that…He’s my older brother.”

“You’re James Simmons sister? And Richard Simmons daughter? No wonder you’re an amazing player! It’s in your blood.”

“I’m not that good, really.”

“Don’t be so modest, you’re great! Hey, I was going to the Three Broomsticks to get something to drink, wanna join me?”

“Well, I was going to meet Fitz there in a few minutes, so I suppose I can go a bit early.”

As the two girls walked together Jemma felt warm inside. Even though she barely knew Skye, the way the Gryffindor student talked about Quidditch felt very familiar, even if she was constantly throwing compliments Jemma didn’t deserve. Unlike when talking to Fitz, who always wanted a well-balanced two way conversation, Skye just kept talking and Simmons was glad she could just walk quietly without the awkwardness of mutual silence.

They got to the crowded Inn and fought their way through the mass of students to get a little table at the back corner. Soon enough, they had been delivered two hot cups of butter beer, which were just what anyone needed to fight the cool autumn breeze from outside.

“But seriously, Jemma. You are the greatest seeker I’ve ever seen. And I’ve been to almost every game in the last World Cup. No one was as good. I’ll have to double my practice hours before the Ravenclaw game. By the way, we should totally practice together sometimes. I mean, I promise I’ll find sometime to practice with you, even if I can’t sleep before a big game. That’s how great you were out there. ” Skye joked. Her smile was big and welcoming and her eyes glowed with admiration.

“I’m really not that great.” Simmons replied, tears already gathering on her eyes. “I cheated, okay? I’m not great.”

“Wait…You what?”

“I drank Felix Felicis before playing. That’s why I got the snitch so fast. I was supposed to enter that team on the second year, but I didn’t. I tried again on the third year, but I didn’t. Last year I didn’t even had the courage to show up for try-outs. I’m a failure, and I didn’t want to be the black sheep of the family. I know I was wrong, so please stop saying I was great. It's hard enough as it is.” Tears streamed down her face as she tried to explain her reasons, but it wasn’t until she finished that she realized nothing justified her actions.

“You understand you took the chance of a really good kid to get that spot, right? I can’t believe I thought you were so amazing. You’re just a liar.” Skye said, getting up.

“I’m not a liar!” Simmons replied, as the other girl quickly made her way out of the Inn. “Skye!” She yelled, but there was no response. She looked back to her half empty cup, but she could barely see behind the waves of tears emerging from her eyes. She could be expelled from school for cheating, but worse, she’d have to face the consequences at home if her family knew what she did.

Simmons did her best to clean her face from the tears and a few minutes later a familiar pair of hands flee on her shoulders.

“Hey, you’re here!” Fitz said, walking to the chair that was once taken by Skye. “What happened, are you okay?” He asked, noticing her after-cry face.

“Nothing, Fitz. Nothing happened.


	5. Chapter 5

It was the 31st of October, and all the students and faculty were united at the grand hall for the Halloween feast. The tables were still empty and the noise of talking and laughing kept getting louder and louder. Skye was glad the food wasn’t served cause she already felt like throwing up. Every minute or so an unknown face from Gryffindor would give her a pat in the back and express their wishes for the game in the following afternoon. She felt sick just to think about playing against Slytherin. She did love Quidditch, but being in the field with Ward always made her think something would go wrong.

Headmaster Fury got up from his chair at the professors’ table and suddenly all the noise stopped. He wore his usual black robes, which gave him a serious and rather scary look, especially in the eyes of first year students. His face was marked with scars and a black eye patch covered his left eye. He gave a short speech on the importance of celebration and ordered the feast to begin.

Magically the tables were filled with an enormous amount of different foods. From turkey legs, to potato salad, to a bowl filled with bean soup. If there was anything the students liked, the elves knew and would prepare it. Skye looked around at the ever growing mess that the Hall had become and tried to concentrate on whether she could eat anything without throwing up right there at the table. As she skimmed the place, trying to find out what the Slytherin seeker was doing, her gaze fell upon a familiar face.

She in fact had thought Jemma Simmons could’ve been her first real friend in Hogwarts since she was nice and good at Quidditch, but Skye had learned from a young age that nothing that good would ever happen to her. Simmons was looking down at her plate, mostly using the fork to move everything around, instead of actually eating, while the boy who sat in front of her laughed and moved his hand widely.

Skye looked back to the empty plate in front of her and decided there was no way she would keep anything on her stomach that night, so she simply got up and left the hall. As she walked towards the door, she couldn’t help but glance back at the Ravenclaw table. It was a purely instinctive movement. She wouldn’t really tell anyone about Jemma cheating, and for some reason she couldn’t even bring herself to hate the girl, so she just kept her distance.

“Leaving so early?” A familiar voice asked her and for the first time on the evening she felt calm. Professor Coulson was standing alone outside the doors of the Great Hall. “If you don’t eat, you’ll be at the Hospital Wing before you’re even awake.”

“I really can’t eat anything, Coulson. I feel like I’m gonna puke whatever I put inside my stomach.”

“Then, come to my office. Have at least some tea before you go to bed.”

As they walked together through the hall, Skye tried to explain Trip’s new tactical plan to get the Slytherin team by surprise, and all the reasons she had to believe it wouldn’t work. Coulson was an avid Quidditch fan himself, and had played in the Gryffindor team as a chaser for while as a student. He had enough knowledge to tranquilize Skye by showing her how Trip’s tactic could actually work on the game.

“So, you see? He’s only recycling a game plan created by the Holyhead Harpies in the 90s. I think it might give you a great chance to win if the beaters can keep the position right.” Coulson told her.

He walked to the back of his office and came back with a silver tray filled with cookies, two steaming hot teacups and a brown lunch bag.

“See if this could maybe stay on your stomach for the night.” He said, throwing the bag at her. Skye opened it only to find two perfectly made peanut butter and jam sandwiches and a chocolate frog package.

“Thanks Phil.” She said removing one of the sandwiches and giving a small bite. It had been five years since their first meeting and he still remembered that she had told him her favorite food was PB&J, because that’s what the ladies at the orphanage would make for everyone on Sunday picnics. Phil knew how to be a good friend and caretaker and she couldn’t be more grateful.

* * *

 Even though it was a sunny day, the shadow inside the Gryffindor tent made the air cold. Skye didn’t know if her hand were shaking because of the temperature or because of her nerves, so she gripped her broom as strong as she could to keep them still. The team was sitting in front of the blackboard containing the tactics they would use later on.

Trip walked into the tent, followed by Professor Hill, the Head of Gryffindor, as well as a tall and large man wearing black robes and a bright orange scarf. Skye recognized him as Richard “Ricky” Simmons, former Chudley Cannons beater who was also coaching the team on that season. Behind him there was a familiar face, almost hidden due to his enormous body figure.

Jemma was wearing her regular Ravenclaw robes and her prefect seemed to be more polished than usual. She kept her head low, mostly because she was embarrassed to stand in front of people who didn’t know her and weren’t even from her house. She glanced quickly at the bench and blushed as her eyes locked on Skye’s.

The Gryffindor girl couldn’t help but look at Jemma. She hated herself for not being able to get mad at her, but still she could not accept Simmon’s actions. It was like her sense of justice and the unexpected impression that girl had left were battling inside her head constantly.

“Well, despite being a Hufflepuff myself, I’ve always been fond of Gryffindor’s quidditch team since my younger years. You can guys can be sure that, as long as you’re not playing against my little girl,” he wrapped an arm around Jemma, “I’ll be cheering for this team right here. Good luck on the field, and as I tell my Chudley kids: Play more with your heart than with your brooms!”

The team gathered around Richard, using the last few minutes before the match to ask for his opinion and get autographs. Skye, however, just sat the bench, reviewing the tactic lines in her head and trying to focus only on the game. She knew she was a great seeker, but she was always really scared of disappointing her teammates.  
When Trip asked the team to form a line to enter the field, Skye ended up being last, and as she was about to walk out, she couldn’t help but overhear Richard talking to his daughter.

“Baby, you have no idea how proud we are. Your mom is going to bake you a cake when you’re back for winter and James can’t stop telling his teammates. Heck, I can’t stop telling them either!” He hugged her, which made her look like a tiny kid. Richard had always acted tough during professional quidditch games, but he was, in fact, a caring father, husband and coach, always looking after those who mattered to him.

“Thanks daddy. I’m really happy too.” Simmons forced a smile. Even though she felt very emotional after her dad’s kind words, she still felt terrible about cheating.

* * *

 The only thing in Skye’s mind was the crowd noise around her. She calculated mentally how the little wind that was blowing would affect her flight. The snitch was released and suddenly everything went blank. She focused all her attention on the little golden ball. Once she had it in her hands, the game was over and she had done her job.

She closed her eyes and the heard the whistle. With a light push she was ascending. The seeker always flies higher, Coulson had taught her once. She just stayed there, above the game happening below, ignoring the scores and cheers, while the Slytherin seeker made sloppy turns all around searching for the snitch.

Skye slowly started to move around, trying to focus on any possible reflection the sun could cause on the snitch. It was a task that could get pretty boring if it wasn’t for the thrill of sting in a wood stick, many feet from the ground. It was only after half an hour into the game that she spotted the tiny ball, flying still a bit lower than her.

As soon as she stretched her arms, the snitch dashed right past her, but she had to make sure the opponent team’s seeker wouldn’t catch it. With her arm hanging beside her body, she shifted all her weight to her right side, making an inclined turn towards the ground.

The first time she made that move was when she still trained with Coulson over winter break and he told her she would end up breaking her neck. Now she did it every other game, mostly to please the crowd. It was a crazy angle for wizard kids, but she was used to rollercoasters and every sort of theme park ride and the speed didn’t bother her anymore.

The snitch made its way through the players and Skye only focused on keeping it in her sight. Something tugged the back of her broom and she knew the Slytherin seeker was right behind her, but she could not look back and risk losing her way. “Another ten points for Gryffindor!” she heard the game’s commentator announce. Trip’s plan was in her head: Once the team was in a good position, a beater would tell her it was okay to get the snitch. He wanted to get as many point on the first games to secure their place in the finals.

After chasing around the field, dodging the balls and the other players and still managing to keep the little golden object in sight, Skye was starting to feel her muscles cramp. Her arms and legs were starting to shake when someone pulled on her uniform. The Gryffindor beater was working hard to keep up with her speed.

“Okay!” she yelled, so the poor girl could go back her regular flying pace. The snitch was now making it way to the center of the field and Skye was right behind it. She knew if she could stretch a little more, she would make it. Her whole body was pressed against the broom as she reached for the ball. Her finger curled around it and the crowd went crazy, but she couldn’t hear it. When she felt the snitch in her fist, everything went black,


	6. Chapter 6

“Ugh.” Skye whimpered trying to move her body. She recognized she was at the hospital wing, and most of her body ached.

“You shouldn’t move too much.” A rather familiar voice said. Jemma unconsciously reached for Skye’s shoulder to keep her from moving.

“What happened?” The Gryffindor girl asked, ignoring her mixed feelings towards the girl sitting beside her.

“You got hit on the head by a bludger. You were flying pretty fast, and you fell. Two broke ribs, a twisted ankle, lots of bruises and of course a nasty concussion.”

“Alright.” She replied, tracing her hand along her ribcage and then the big bruise that extended from her forehead down to her cheekbones. She could feel a large scar that she could only imagine looked awful.

“That’s where it hit you.” Jemma added.

“And what are you doing here?”

“I told the nurse I’m writing an essay on the effects of pain relieving herbs for extra credit in Herbology, and she let me watch you over night to take notes.”

“Did you lie about that too?” Skye asked turning her body to the other side, so she was facing away from Jemma.

“No…I asked the Professor if I could do it. I wouldn’t be able to make that up. I’m not good at improvisation, however I excel in preparation.”

Skye couldn’t help but laugh at the way she had spoken those last words, as if she had memorized them from repeating so much. She remembered how nice and easy it was to talk to her at Hogsmead and how her father seemed so proud of her being on the team. It was a kind of pride she had never seen before.

One of her foster fathers was really happy when she won a spelling bee in second grade, but it didn’t compare to the way Mr. Simmons looked at his daughter. And of course Coulson was amazed when Skye made it as a seeker, and he even got her some muggle ice cream a few days later, but she knew he cared for her only as a nice student with whom he could actually discuss non magical subjects.

Even though she was disappointed about Jemma’s actions, Skye still thought she seemed like a nice person. While growing up, no one had ever given her a chance. She was always going from foster home, to orphanage, to foster home again. She wondered if maybe she’d go out of her way to be accepted by a family, if she could and that was probably why she couldn’t dislike Jemma.

“What time is it even?” Skye asked, still looking away from the other student. “I mean, for how long was I out?”

“I’m not very sure about when the game ended. It all got pretty messy after you fell as everyone rushed to see what had happened. But it’s half past midnight now.”

“Shouldn’t you be asleep then?” Skye asked, sounding meaner than she intended to. Jemma shifted uncomfortably on the chair she was sitting and stared at her feet. She knew Skye was mad at her and she knew she wasn’t supposed to be there anyway. She was once again being pushy into making friends and this time she was sure that Skye was bothered.

“I have…I have been waking up from time to time to check on you and take notes.”

“Well, I’ll go back to sleep and you should too. It’s not like you have the privileges of a giant scar on your head. I’ll let you know if I feel anything.”

* * *

 It wasn’t the first time Skye was bound to a hospital bed. She was 8 when her tonsils were removed. However, the hospital was always full of people and the orphanage nuns would always come to visit and stay with her. The hospital wing at Hogwarts was the complete opposite. It was huge, and looked like a church, and it was also really cold and people rarely stayed there for more than a few hours.

When Skye woke up on the next morning, Jemma wasn’t there anymore, but Coulson, who was reading the back of a chocolate frog card, had taken her place.

“You got one for me?” Skye asked with her sleepy voice.

“No, but your team brought you enough, I think.” Coulson pointed to a big basket filled with candy that was placed in front of her bed.

“Yay.” She replied, trying to find the less painful way to sit.

“Good thing you’re awake, though. Melinda, she’s awake.” Skye didn’t notice that professor May was standing by the window, a few beds away.

“How are you feeling Skye” May asked, approaching the two of them.

“Better, I think.” Skye replied.

“I just came to inform that student Grant Ward was the one who sent the bludger your way, after you had already reached the snitch and the game was over, so he’ll be punished accordingly.”

“Wait, you’re not going to expel him or anything, right? Like, he won’t be kicked out of the team of anything?”

“Well, he’ll be suspended from the next game against Ravenclaw, but I don’t think he’ll face any other problem unless you or your team would like to formally accuse him of foul play.”

Melinda May was the head of Slytherin and she knew from Ward’s first day of school that he’d be causing trouble. It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, but Gryffindor was the only team who refused to complain about his conduct in the field. However, despite his problematic personality, Grant Ward had promising future as an auror and showed profound knowledge on the defenses from Dark Arts, so his behavior would worry Melinda, more than angry her.

Skye was no different. She and Ward had gotten quite close after her breakout as the Gryffindor seeker and even though she was under the “pretty boy effect” for a while, their relationship was always based more on their rivalry. The truth was Skye, at first, considered him as a friend, but she soon found out there’s no way anyone could trust him. There was, however, an agreement on the Gryffindor team to never have any player expelled from the other houses. They would rather train twice as much than have people claim their victories were easier. Deep inside her, Skye wanted to have Grant kicked out. Hell, she wanted him out of Hogwarts if she could. It wasn’t the first time he hurt someone after the game was over, but to think he had done this to her made her angrier than anything.

“Well, I guess if we’re done, I should let you rest. Phil?” May said.

“I’ll go in a moment. I need to talk to Skye.” Coulson moved to seat on the edge of Skye’s bed and waited until May was out the door. “So,” he turned to her, “how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.” She answered, reaching out for a package of Every Flavour Beans. “Want the first one?”

“No, I want to know how are you really feeling. Not only you’re in a nasty situation, but you’ve been weird for a while now.”

“Have you ever had a first impression of someone that made you think they’re great, but then it all fall down to pieces, but you still want to think they’re great and you have no idea how to feel?”

“Is this about Ward? Cause I thought your thing with him was completely over and I can always talk to May if you want…”

“Not about Ward. Definitely not about Ward.”

“Then who is it Skye?” The concern on Phil’s eyes was noticeable even to the most oblivious person in the planet. Skye contemplated telling him all the things that went through her mind in the past month, but she avoided at all costs seeing him as a father figure. The times she actually believed she had a family were the ones that hurt the most once they left her.

“Hum…Look, my head really hurts right now, I should probably get some more rest, could you maybe get me out of this hospital wing as soon as humanly, or wizardly possible? Thanks Coulson, you’re the best. Bye.” Skye laid down and closed her eyes, waiting for Phil to leave his spot at her bad.

“Look, I’ll go, but first let me tell you this: If this person, whoever they are, is still on you mind somehow, you might want to get all this cleared up with them before it starts to mess with your head. I’m talking from experience.”

Once his weight lifted and she heard the big doors closing, Skye sat up again and resumed the hard job of finding the good tasting beans in the package.

* * *

 “You arrived at the dorm really late yesterday, didn’t you?” Fitz asked a little out of his breath. “And could you maybe walk a little slower and pretend you can talk to me?”

“Fitz, I need to get to the library and finish my Defense Against the Dark Arts assignment, and no I can’t walk slowly.” Jemma replied, walking effortlessly through the packed hallways and managing to avoid collision with every single student walking the opposite way. Fitz on the other hand, was responsible for a few potions supplies being dropped.

“Ok, ok. But why did you arrive late at the dorm?”

“I didn’t arrive late, I arrived early in the morning. I was finishing an extra credit thing.”

“What extra credit thing?”

“Fitz! I don’t have to tell you everything I work on. What I have to do is finish my homework.” Simmons replied stopping in front of the library doors.

“Alright, alright. See you after the free period?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Libraries were always Jemma’s favorite place. She never knew if it was the quietness, or the books or the combination of both, but it made her extremely calm. It took her a few minutes to organize all her books on the table in front of her, but it saved her the trouble of looking for the information she needed once she stared her essay.  
Writing was a precise work for Jemma Simmons. She could never write a sentence only once. She would write at least three different versions of the same paper before settling on final version. It was such an intricate job that her brain pretty much turned off for everything else around her. That’s why it took her so long to realize someone was calling for her from across the table.

“Oh, hey, I’m sorry I didn’t notice you.” She whispered to the tall boy sitting in front of her.

“Wow, I’m a bit sad, but it’s okay. You’re the substitute seeker for Ravenclaw, right?” Trip asked.

“Yes, you’re Antoine Triplett, Gryffindor captain. We met when my dad talked to you before the game.”

“Yeah, best day of my life. First of all, please thank your father again for coming to speak with us. Second, I have a note for you. I didn’t read, but I think you’re being called at the hospital wing.” He said giving her a wink. “Also, I heard you’re pretty good. I hope we get to face each other before I graduate.”

“Thank you, you’re pretty great too.” She answered picking the little folded paper he placed between them.

“It was nice to properly meet you Ms. Simmons.” Trip said getting up and walking towards the doors. Jemma didn’t read the note at first, because she was worried about what it might say, instead she decided to go see Skye as soon as she was finished with her work. If she had face harsh words, she would rather hear them than read them.


End file.
